Cleaning appliance.



T. I. BROWNING. CLEANING APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31. 1915..

Patented Sept. 21, 1915.

v m H Z; Vi m w W IVY/W568: v

TILLIE J. BROWNING, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

CLEANING APPLIANCE.

Specificaticn of Letters Patent.

Patented Sepia-21, 1915.

Application filed March 31, 1915. Serial No. 18,231.

I To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TILLIE J. Bnownmc, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Cleaning Appliances, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a cleaning appliance comprising a brush and a handle so constructed that the brush may be either made rigid with the handle or be connected thereto flexibly so that the brush may penetrate spaces to which access would be otherwise impossible.

The invention is intended more particularly for use in connection with the bowls of siphon closets, although it is not limited in its application to any particular use.

In order that my invention may be fully understood, I have illustrated several embodiments thereof in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sectional view of a closet showing one of my cleaning appliances in use therein. Fig. 2 is a detail view of a preferred embodiment of my invention partly broken away and Figs. 3 and i show other embodiments of my invention.

' In the first embodiment of my invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the handle is shown I in the shape of a stick 0 which is attached to the brush a through the medium of a coiled spring I). Extending longitluliiuilly through an orifice in the stick 0 is a rod (Z. The outer end of the rod is bent back upon itself to form a loop 6 and an extension fwhich extends alongside of the main body of the rod d. The orifice in the stick is of sufficient width, at least for a part of its length, to receive both members (1 and f of the rod, so that they may slidclfrcely. Near the outcr end of the orifice the same is widened some what to provide a shoulder y. The extent to which the rod ma y be withdrawn is limited by a collar 72, which engages the end of the stick nearest the brush \Vhen moved to this position, the free end of member passes beyond the shoulder 5 and the rod having a degree of resiliency, the member 7 snaps 'out into alinement with the shoulder, thereby automatically holding the rod in its retracted position until the user presses theanember 7" toward the member d to the extent re-,

quired to clear the shoulder g, whereupon the rod may be pushed forward into an orifice in the mounting of the brush until the loop e engages the end of the stick 0 or until the rod (Z seats in the base of the orifice. It will be understood that when the rod (1 is pushed forward so that it extends through the space within the coiled spring, the brush- 1s 1n effect a rigid article, which is desirable when cleaning readily accessible surfaces, as, for example, the inside of the body of the bowl of the closet. Then it is desired to clean surfaces, cavities or passages to which access cannot be had with a brush that is rigid with the handle, as, for example, the water-sealed or goose-neck outlet from the bowl mentioned, the rod is retracted as described and is held in its retracted position by the engagement between shoulder g andmcmber f, and the coiled spring I) is free to bend out of parallelism with the stick 0 to any degree, so that access may be had to the passage to be cleaned.

Instead of constructing the rod as described, it maybe made as shown in Fig. 3 in which the orifice in the stick 5 is throughout its length of a diameter to accommodate only one dial'neter of the rod (designated j) throughout except, preferably, for the provision of a loop is at the end and of annular grooves m and a, which are adapted for engagement with a spring catch 0 secured to the end of the stick. The catch 0 is normally in engagement with one groove or the other dependent upon whether the rod j is advanccd or retracted, and thus the rod is held from movement along the stick whether it is in position to hold the brush in rigid relation with the stick or is in position to allow it to flex relative to the stick to the extent permitted by the spring I). The complete withdrawal of the rod may be prevented by the means provided in the first-described embodiment of my invention.

Instead of constructing the rigidifying away so as to afi'ord a shoulder .9 adapted,

when the sleeve is retracted, to abut against a'stop t on the sleeve and thereby prevent the removal of the sleeve from the stick.

The end of the sleeve is provided with a hole 0, which, like the loops and is of the other described embodiments of my invention, at

fords a means for suspendingthe appliance.

5 It is obvious that when the sleeve 1' is in its advanced positiomshown in dotted lines in the drawing, the spring is prevented from flexing and thus the brush is held in rigid relationship to the stick and that when the sleeve is retracted the spring -is allowed to 5 1. A, cleanin yield so as to flexibly support the brush.

Having now fully described my invention,

what Iclaim and desire to protect by Letterel'atent isi 1 appliance comprising a i brush, a rigid stielga spring connecting the brush and stick and permitting the brush to flexibly yield relatively to the stiele and a rigiditying device adapted to he moved into and out otposition to render the spring subto permit the spring to yield.

3. A. cleaning appliance comprising a v brush, a rigid stick, a spring, connecting the brush and stick and permitting thehrush to flexibly yield relatively to the stick, a rigidi- 5' tying device slidahle longitudimilly relatively to the stick and adapted in one position to prevent thefspring from substantially yielding and in. another pd'sition to permit the spring to yield, .and I automatreally-open 40 ating manually-releasahle means to hold thev rigidit'ying device in its retracted position.

4. A cleaning appliance comprising a brush, a rigid stick, a spring coi ecting the brush and stick and permitting thehrush to flexibly yield i-elativel to the sticlea rigidit'ying device slidahle longitudinally relatively to the stick and adapted in one position to prevent the spring from substantially yielding and in another position-to permit the spring to yield, and means to prevent the vvitlidnawal ot' the rinidil'ying device from the stick and to hold said device in its re- I; acted position.

5. A cleaning appliance comprising; a brush, a rigid stick. a spring connecting the brush and stick and permitting the brush to flexibly yield relatively to the stiekQand a rigidit'ying device adapted to he moved into and out of position to connect the stick and brush and hold them in rigid relationship.

(3. A cleaning appliance comprising a brush, a rigid stick, a coiled springconnect ing the brush and stick and permitting the brush to llexihly yield relatively to the stick, and a rod slidahle longitudinallyethrough the stick and within the coils ol thespring'.

'T. A cleaning appliance comprising a. brush, a rigid stick, a coiled spring connecting the brush and stick and permittii'ig the brush to flexibly yield relatively to the stick, and a rod slidahle longitudinally through an orifice in the stick, said orifice being enlarged near the end thereof remote from the brush to form a shoulder, andsaid rod having a resilient memhe adapted to snap hack of said shoulder to prevent the accidental advance of the rod when in retracted,

position.

In testimony of which invention. 1 have hereunto set my-haml. at Philadelphia, on this 29th day of March. U 15. n

TILLlll .l. BROWNING. 

